joint mobility itself is, however, a very valuable practice, but I don't know that you need to pay a lot of money for it. like yoga, the greatest benefits accrue from the most basic elements, and you probably learned those in gym class in HS.

essentially, focus individually on each joint and explore its ranges of motion. move it in circles in several different planes. focus on different segments of the spine and move them side to side, back and forth, and in circles. it's not rocket science.

it's better to vary the range of motion, number of repetitions, and amount of focus spent on each joint from day to day. the ultimate benefit is that you retrain your proprioceptors to use the joints' full ROM and cause your joint capsules to become flushed with synovial fluid. it doesnt happen over night, but it can make a big difference.

joint mobility work is best done as a complement to other dynamic and static stretching routines. that, of course, is all scott has really done; added a little bit of yoga and tumbling to the joint mobility material. I have seen no evidence of genius on his part, and I dont think there's anything in any of the products I have seen that is worth the associated price tag.

there's a website called "systema spetsnaz" that links to some videos that show some of the real ROSS exercises and the ultimate goal of the work, which is learning how to articulate kinetic energy in waves and spirals, proceeding from the core of the body to the extremities. here's a clip form the systema spetsnaz people. I have only seen one of their videos, but the material was pretty good, assuming you are interested in cultivating your ability to move like a cat and perform wacky acrobatics.

I thought he admits to his material being compiled from other sources.

yes and no. he will admit that much of the material came from russian sources, but he claims he "invented" various clubbell movements and has supposedly "patented" them, tho some of them are clearly derived from persian club movements. its mind-boggling how anyone could claim to be able to patent a movement.

he also seems to let his ego get ahead of himself. he claims that body-flow is a step beyond feldenkrais, and prasara is an evolution of ashtanga yoga. none of the material I have seen shows anything approaching the genius of feldenkrais. and equally, prasara does not present a complete system of spiritual self-development, which is what yoga really is.

I spent several months puzzling over him, trying out his products, and tracing them back to their origins. my conclusion is that they're not worth the cost of entry. just my two cents.

Did you get flamed earlier for being one of Sonnen's compeititors and just coming here to slandering Sonnen?

no, i am not a competitor of his and no one has flamed me. and I doubt anything I have said could be considered slander. it's not slander to say I think his products are a rip-off and that he exudes a con artist-like aura.

edited to make reference to poop

I'm not a fan of Sonnon's selling tactics (or more of his fan's tactics to be precise). However, it is a thin line to cross to call something a rip off. If there are no innovations at all on the material he's taken from others (.ie. variations or even the manner in which they are presented together), then it could be called a rip off.

Otherwise, you'd be hard pressed to provide an objective explanation of why Sonnon's material, as a whole, it's a rip off.

Also, keep the 'con aura' talk out of the PT forums. It you or anyone feels that's a topic worth investigating, then go to MABS or some other forum. This forum is for physical training, health, nutrition and related crap only.

I'm not going to discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of your appraisal, but it is simply more appropriate to another forum in this website - unless you can demonstrate that they have a direct effect in topics related to physical training, blah blah blah.

So I will ask that from all of you, which I will affectionately refer to as fucking orangutans, to please stick to PT-related topics only (jokes involving gross stuff, bowel movements and such interseeded between meaningful posts are ok, too so long as the signal-to-noise ratio doesn't go down the pooper.)

Otherwise, I will be forced to mod the **** out into trollshido. Thxkbye.

The street argument is retarded. BJJ is so much overkill for the street that its ridiculous. Unless you're the idiot that picks a fight with the high school wrestling team, barring knife or gun play, the opponent shouldn't make it past double leg + ground and pound - Osiris

Also, keep the 'con aura' talk out of the PT forums. It you or anyone feels that's a topic worth investigating, then go to MABS or some other forum. This forum is for physical training, health, nutrition and related crap only.

I went ahead and edited the OT criticism out of my posts. I think what is left fulfills the OP's request for a critical evaluation fo sonnon's products.

by rip-off I meant that they aren't as innovative or effective as he claims or worth the amount of money he charges, not that they are stolen or completely unoriginal.